DECISIVE ISSUE 1
The Let Out | Son of a Sneakerhead | Stay Streaming | Worth the Watch | #BBCC
The Let Out
"Network, network, network" is what they say, but let's be honest the real opportunities and advice come when the networking events let out. The Let Out section of the DECISIVE newsletter features three media professionals who offer their unique perspectives as they answer the same three questions. For this issue, I caught up with three freelance journalists, Taylor Crumpton, Trey Alston, and Heran Mamo.
Taylor Crumpton
Taylor Crumpton is a music, pop culture, and politics writer transplanted in Oakland, originally from Dallas. She has used her collective experiences to create sharp and poignant work that she has become well-known to produce. Since she's begun writing, Taylor's bylines have appeared on a variety of publications, including Pitchfork, Nylon, Playboy, Marie Claire, and more.
website: https://www.taylorcrumpton.com
Q: How did you get your foot in the door in the media industry; what was the defining moment for you?
Taylor Crumpton: I think my journey is very untraditional, contributing to how I navigate journalism and media as a whole. Because I started as an abortion rights organizer when I was an undergrad at Abilene Christian University, one of the nation's most conservative Christian universities. And here I was this young black queer girl advocating for accessible STD testing on campus and how we didn't have any reproductive health providers. So I turned it to a lot of digital organizing, which also informed my Twitter presence.
At the time, the editor in chief of Glamour, I think Cindi Leive, her publication was working on an abortion in America package. Because that time was the Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt Supreme Court case, I was working on through several different fellowships, especially Young People For where I helped write a brief to the Supreme Court. And because I was doing so much work in Texas, when they had the oral proceedings for the court case, my fellowship was like, 'Hey, we have a spot, and we want you to be up there representing us.' I remember I was a junior in undergrad flying out to Washington, DC, I spoke on the Supreme Court's steps and flew back the next day and went to class like it was, to this day, a wild moment, because who the hell was doing that in undergrad. But that summer, Cindi was looking for people to pitch, and I just tweeted to her, and I was like, 'Hey, I have an Op-ed. Can I send it to you?' And miraculously, the editor in chief of Glamour was like, 'Yes, please send it to me.' So that was my first byline, and at the time, when you're not in the media industry, you don't understand the power of a byline. So for my first byline to be in Glamour, even though it was unpaid and I was like, that's fine I got a byline in Glamour f*ck it. I wasn't expecting to have a career in media. But that was my entryway, which led me to later kind of getting my feet wet being a contributor to Teen Vogue's news and politics section when they were transitioning into being more political space.
I think a defining moment for me. It's weird because I think I've had a lot of personal moments that have defined me. And the first time I was a columnist, I learned a lot about what it means to be on deadline and what it means to be like a member of an institution, especially a legacy institution and the pressures of that. But I think currently so far would have to be my Megan thee Stallion Op-ed in Harper's Bazaar. That was the first time one of my articles went very viral — on my birthday. It also was like this weird thing where I turned 25; this article came out, and I knew my friends were going to support it. Still, the fact that it just — I couldn't not see it [trending] even outside of my network was heartwarming for me as someone who just celebrated three months of being a full-time freelancer, on August 8. So, I guess that was a sign from the universe that I made the right step leaving my nonprofit. I think that would have to be the most defining moment, and it got a lot of eyes on me, even though I've been writing for years, but that was where everyone was like, 'Oh, this girl got some talent.'
Q: What would you say has been your most meaningful or your favorite piece of work thus far in your career? Explain why.
Taylor Crumpton: I think my most favorite — I feel like a mother choosing between all of her children. Ah, my favorite one. Mmm, that's good. It makes me think; I got to see. It's hard. It's actually hard. I haven't really like sat and like ranked them or thought about them like that. I've been crying so much recently over pieces. And I haven't cried before over them that much. I can really only think currently right. Not to like sleep [on older pieces]. Mama still loves her early pieces, but I consider being asked by a legacy publication like the Wall Street Journal, to interview the co-director, Kwasi Fordjour, and the costume designer, Zerina Akers, of "Black is King" [to be meaningful]. As someone who is a day one, Beyhive member, when "Lemonade" came out, I was too poor for the merch (merchandise), but I was able to get a little lemon tattoo on my back, which was cheaper. That was very significant to me, because when I first started with that Glamour Op-ed, right, I would never think or imagine or dream of having an opportunity like that. Even if I went and found myself May 8 traveled back through time, and was like you're going to do this three months from now.
I would be like, 'Bitch, why are you lying? Like what the hell's going on?' That touched my heart because it was recognized by an institution, especially with the media reckoning happening right now. [Despite that] we still have those little markers, right, those little things we want to hit. I think everybody ideally wants to have a New York Times byline. So to have a wall street journal, and then it would be such a black piece that was very rooted in like the Pan-Africanism and the African diaspora. To be able to even be in conversation with, the co-director, and the costume designer was something for me that was like, 'you're meant to be here, you've earned this.'
Also, I joke a lot when I tell people to manifest, manifesting is great until it's here and you have to do it and then, it's just you. I remember being in those two days very thankful for this moment, and then it came out. And the love and admiration in getting to hear from people I looked up to, as a young writer, come and congratulate me, was nice. I think that was like one thing where I was like, 'wow, I can handle doing this type of work at such a young age, in which I did not go to J-school, I didn't go to journalism school.' It was meaningful to me that I can carry my own in this space and be respected, even though I didn't go through the traditional route, which makes me happy. Because I think we see right now during this pandemic, that there is [room for] so much more flexibility and fluidity in journalism and media. And that article showed me and hopefully others that you can give these big assignments to people who maybe didn't go to the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism or like those big ones because we still have that skill and expertise.
Q: What does your dream job role look like? Explain why that role is ideal for you.
Taylor Crumpton: Ah, the dream I love a good manifestation question. I look up to Dr. Regina Bradley and Mikki Kendall. I call them my aunties. One is my Scorpio aunts who really will drag me by the kitchen on the back of the nape of my neck. And the other is a little bit more like, warm and welcoming. And I like them both because how they contribute to like the lexicon because I think a lot of times, not every journalist is a critic and not every critic is a journalist, and not all of us are scholars. But what I like about Gina and Mikki is their fluidity. It allows them to go in between those fields. Gina can have an academic journal article about dirty South hip hop, and she's writing a book called "Chronicling Stankonia: the Rise of the Hip Hop South," then also have a southern hip hop podcast Bottom of the Map. I look to her for the fluidity because I would love to teach about Southern hip hop and have a podcast about Southern hip hop. Then write for publications about Southern hip hop. But outside of that specialization, it's the culture, the [politics] of it and the economics. There are many layers and for her to make a living about that and contribute to this lexicon. That's something that I want to step into, especially for Texas, which has been a separate journey. When I was in Texas, as an undergraduate, I couldn't wait to leave I only applied to out of state schools. I haven't lived in Texas for three years now. In those three years of being away, I have developed so much of an appreciation and love for my state that I don't think I would have developed if I stayed. As someone who's lived on the east coast and the west coast, it made me appreciate my humble beginning so much more. I don't even want to say humble, but it made me appreciate how much Texas has informed me, and I think right now, ideally, in the future, I would love to give back, and I'm trying to figure out what that looks like.
Trey Alston
Trey Alston is a Virginia-based music journalist that was previously a staff writer at MTV News but is now one of the hardest-working freelancers in the game. He credits his success to his parents' hard work ethic and the lack of local opportunities to push him to do better for himself: that, and House of Cards for some reason.
website: https://treyals.com
Q: How did you get your foot in the door in the media industry; what was the defining moment for you?
Trey Alston: For me, honestly, it was when my son was a baby (he's three now). While I would put him to sleep, I'd write posts for a publication named Blacpire, and I realized that even though I'd need to work in a couple of hours, I felt compelled to write five or six 200 word stories unpaid. That's when I realized that I could accomplish something great in music journalism if given the opportunity.
Shortly after that, I was able to start getting paid for stories at HipHopDX, and I remember sitting in the car on my lunch break, super nervous for the interview. Once I got the job, I knew that to climb; I had to show I could do the work. It was lights out after that.
Q: What would you say has been your most meaningful or your favorite piece of work thus far in your career? Explain why.
Trey Alston: I did an interview with Charli XCX for MTV News that I was extremely excited about. I knew months in advance that I'd be interviewing her, and I'd never listened to her music. I did a deep dive and really learned who she was, so by the time the conversation came around, it felt like I was talking to a friend. Additionally, I interviewed a producer of hers for a story about her new album at the time. It wasn't quite a cover story, but it felt good to pretty much have creative control.
Q: What does your dream job role look like? Explain why that role is ideal for you.
Trey Alston: I've always said, if I could go to a theater and watch the fourth movie of a cinematic universe that I've made, my life's purpose will have been fulfilled. I love telling stories in journalism because it helps me to learn how to write in other ways. That's my dream plan right there, writing scripts, books, and movies. Stephen King has always been an inspiration.
Heran Mamo
Heran Mamo is a young music journalist covering daily entertainment news stories, red carpet events, concerts, and celebrity interviews. She is currently a contributing writer at Billboard based in Los Angeles, covering all genres and business aspects of the music industry for the online magazine. Additionally, she develops the song lyrics section of the Billboard Hot 100.
website: https://byheranmamo.wixsite.com/portfolio
Q: How did you get your foot in the door in the media industry; what was the defining moment for you?
Heran Mamo: I started my journalism career, technically, when I was a senior in high school because I started working at my high school newspaper. I did everything like I would design the pages in Adobe InDesign, and write stories in every section. So it gave me like, kind of made me a jack of all trades. Then I knew I wanted to study journalism. I knew like I wanted to do that at USC and automatically applied to Annenberg. When I got in, my friend from high school went to orientation with me and told me I should apply to the Daily Trojan, which started my more collegiate journalism career. I was able to have dope interviews with Jennifer Lawrence from "The Hunger Games" and Mike Posner, the pop star. That was the domino effect to do more writing opportunities at USC (University of Southern California). I went to the undergraduate writers' conference every year. You could submit anything from college essays to your capstone to articles you've written and just get together with the undergraduate writer community at USC. You could win cash prizes and other cool things, but I used it as a networking opportunity, and one girl put me on the Huffington Post. It's like a defunct program now, unfortunately. It was a Huffington Post campus editor at large program, which you were using this CMS that felt like WordPress. You automatically published stuff on Huffington Post's landing page, which is pretty cool. And it was the first big title company that I got to have my byline on, which helped me get an internship at the entertainment magazine the Hollywood Reporter.
I really love music out of all the other entertainment, niche categories. So I was kind of like, 'why don't you guys cover music more?' And they're like, 'Well, our sister publication is Billboard' and I was like, 'Oh, hold up, I'm trying to go there.'
So, I'm trying to bust my ass and send emails as I'm ending that internship, wondering, 'how do I come back?' You know, it's the sister company [and they] should know me well by now. Fast forward, and I finished a summer internship at Billboard, two summers ago in 2018, which I think was my big break. I had so many big girl opportunities, where I was just running around LA as a 20-year-old. I remember interviewing Kelly Clarkson on camera, the fourth day of the internship, and I remember posting that and everyone's commenting like, 'I'm sorry. Like, how?' Even I was asking my bosses, 'Are you sure? Like, are you sure that like that, Kelly?' I'm introverted and not an on-camera person at all. So being thrown into the fire, it was great for me to branch out and speak to people who are well known and put on my big girl heels to attend the red carpets. I went to the LA courthouse and covered a court case for Billboard and the Hollywood Reporter. I attended a music festival and covered that for two days with my roommate. She's like 'Damn girl like this is really your job,' and following that internship, I was trying to finesse my way back, and that's where I'm freelance writing right now, and it's been a year almost.
Q: What would you say has been your most meaningful or your favorite piece of work thus far in your career? Explain why.
Heran Mamo: It doesn't have anything to do with music, funny enough. But I used to write about rocket science a little bit at USC cause my best guy friends from school were in the USC rocket propulsion laboratory. I went and covered a bunch of their launches in different states, like the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, which is funny enough where Burning Man festival is so I've been to the Playa, but like not the way a lot of people have. I went to New Mexico during my senior year with them to go to Spaceport America. And I wrote this in my last feature story about them.
It's kind of funny when you're in school, and you hear your friends have these lofty goals — they always knew I wanted to interview celebrities, and they see me now, and they're just like, 'Damn, she's really doing it.' And they've always told me they wanted to go to space, which is a very, very lofty, illustrious goal and to see them accomplish that four years later is one of the best feelings in the world. It's not something I've accomplished, but it's something that I witness people I care about a lot accomplished. But I was recognized in the National Hearst feature writing competition for one of my features about their rocket traveler three, which was like the rocket before their successful space attempt. So, I think that was fun because I love traveling for stories, and I'm pleased that I got to highlight like the dopest people I met in college, you know?
Q: What does your dream job role look like? Explain why that role is ideal for you.
Heran Mamo: I mean, I think most people who know me like in college would say, like, 'Oh, I already am working my dream job,' you know, being a music journalist and having my stuff up on Billboard. But I think my dream job is tying in music reporting to specific cultures. Artists I'm really interested in are the Weeknd, Aminé, Mereba, Kelela, Nipsey Hussle — rest in peace; those are all Ethiopian and or Eritrean artists and I'm Ethiopian. It's cool to see my people come up, especially the Weeknd, one of the world's biggest pop stars and named Abel Tesfaye, a well recognized Habesha name. Highlighting those people and their contributions to specific ethnic cultures [is important to me] having an African immigrant family, and especially growing up in white-centric spaces. Because when you're trying to assimilate, as ingrained in your parents' immigration process but also just kind of like kids being kids wanting to like fit in. It's dope seeing people capitalize on breaking out while still bringing their culture on top with them. When I hear the Weeknd singing Amharic, my native tongue, I spoke for the first five years of my life. I want to interview those artists specifically and highlight them because they make me more proud and appreciative of music; more than anything, I'm a little bit closer to you because of this commonality in culture.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
Son of a Sneakerhead Podcast
Description: Son of a Sneakerhead is a podcast focusing on sneakers, streetwear, and pop culture from a son of a sneakerhead, that’s me, Daric (ODtheMC). While providing a platform for the authentic voices of our culture through interviews, discussions, and of course, sneaker reviews. Each episode has a goal of highlighting Black culture, and it’s influence on the world. Take a seat and tune in, so we can lace you up!
First Episode on Monday, August 24th.
Listen wherever you stream your podcasts.
Stay Streaming VOL. 1
Stay Streaming is a collection of music that has been getting nonstop streams from me as of late. Some artists featured you'll know and love, while others you soon will. Of course, some songs may be old but hidden gems, but one thing's for sure they're all tracks I stay streaming.
Worth the Watch
I've been a big film and TV buff since the first time I opened my eyes. To escape into a world with a little box as I gaze on the screen is my favorite pastime. I grew up watching old black & white films with my grandmother and clung to every line of these fictional worlds from "A Streetcar Named Desire" to action films like "Planet of the Apes." And TV was no different, binging classics like "I Love Lucy," "Good Times," and "Knight Rider." Since growing up, not much has changed, and I still love a great film or TV show, and in this section of the DECISIVE newsletter, I'll be sharing what's worth watching.
Of course, I don't want to cause sensory overload, so I'll be recommending one film and TV show that is a must-see. And I understand how too many options can leave you scrolling for hours instead of watching.
Project Power
Project Power is a refreshing action/superhero film with a "buddy-cop" style twist. The film stars Jamie Foxx, who plays a former soldier with a mysterious background who's on a mission to save someone he loves. Domonique Fishback also stars in this action thriller as a young schoolgirl in New Orleans doing everything she can to help her mother and survive. They get mixed up in an adventure to stop a drug that's hit the streets of New Orleans that gives users temporary superpowers — or immediate death.
Where to watch: Netflix
Get Even
Get Even is a true hidden gem. As an avid viewer of teen high school dramas, I can proudly say "Get Even" is one of the best in a long time. The series is based on the book series of the same name by Gretchen McNeil. The show follows four teenage girls who attend the elite Bannerman Independent School that team up to expose and fight the injustices that plague Bannerman's halls. They don't get mad; they get even. If "The Baby-Sitters Club" and "Pretty Little Liars" had a baby, it would be "Get Even."
Where to watch: Netflix
Building Blocks of Content Creation
A media brand wasn't built in a day — or was that Rome? Either way, both apply. I've learned my fair share of creating an independent media or personal brand through trial and error, and I want to share the best tools and how to use them. In this section, you'll find my recommendations for apps, tech, and overall basics you need to build your foundation. For the first issue of DECISIVE, I asked what tools would you all like recommended, and you all voted for video editing and Instagram story template apps. Because of the nature of wanting to be as accessible as possible, I'll share the best apps this go round and share my recommendations for computer-based software in another newsletter issue.
Adobe Premiere Rush
Adobe Premiere Rush is the best mobile video editing app out there and supports 4K video output. It features everything you'll need for mobile video editing, built-in camera functionality, editing tools, and social sharing capabilities right from the app. There are also built-in motion graphic templates, color correction filter presets, motion transition graphics, overlays, and you can reframe your videos as well with the new auto reframe feature. I've been using Adobe Premiere Rush for a couple of years now for social video, YouTube, and even clipping together news packages. It's my go-to affordable editing software that can be used on mobile devices and computers.
Price: Free with limited features | $9.99/month or Free if you already have an Adobe Creative Cloud
Mojo
Mojo is my go-to for all my social media content, and it partners very well with Adobe Premiere Rush. Mojo is intended for Instagram stories, and that's how it is typically used. But there are so many capabilities for on the go content creation. I stumbled upon Mojo about two years ago when looking for an app or software to make branded social media content. The app features built-in templates for Instagram stories and standard text and animation options to make your content more engaging and lively. After using the free version for a week, I opted for the pro version, which offers so much more. On the pro version, you can change the standard 9:16 format to 16:9, 1:1, or 4:5, add your logo and fonts, access all templates and text styles. I've used this app for short social videos with text when promoting a new article I've written to interactive motion graphics to announce new playlists I created. It's the perfect on the go social media app for journalists, influencers, podcasters, etc.
Price: Free with limited features | $9.99/month | $39.99/year (60% off when opting for the yearly subscription, which is my best recommendation in the long run.)
Unfold
Unfold is a solid contender for Mojo, as it is another app focused on Instagram story templates. It is only a contender for me because Mojo's interface is a bit easier to work with. But Unfold is an app packed with tools for every content creator, and all the top influencers and YouTubers use it, even brands like Topshop. Unfold offers seven collections of free templates with various fonts and customizations. It's the app that delivers on what it says it’s for and does it very well. Ufold+ offers access to every collection of templates and more customization options, more fonts, stickers, and exclusive collections. Unfold just released a new version this month, for brands that does even more. The new option offers everything in Unfolds+ and a brand kit to add custom fonts, logos, and colors, web stories to share Instagram story URLs, and a web dashboard to manage content from a desktop device. Unfold+ is the cheaper option than Mojo if you need an app solely for Instagram story templates. Unfold for Brands is the more robust plan with more options at a higher price but will allow you to create content that can compete with industry professionals.
Price: Free with limited features | Unfold+ for $2.99/month or $19.99/year (40% off when opting for the yearly subscription) | Unfold for Brands $12.99/month or $99.99/year (35% off when opting for the annual subscription)
I wish you the absolutely BEST !! God Speed! (P.S I am a friend of your mother)